Severance and unemployment, do they overlap? (update)

I was offered severance of 17 weeks after being let go as a home health aide and I am unsure how it affects benefits. It has been a long 4 weeks. I also wonder about the job-search requirement. Who should I ask before signing?

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 12 months ago, and it got easier once I kept a simple log of every call and form.

Before signing, I asked a friend who is a lawyer to look at the agreement. It was a short conversation and worth it.